Slub catcher



A. R. PERRHN SLUB CATCHER Filed April 28, 1925 Patented Mayl 18, 1926.

' UNITED Vs'rNrEs ALPHONSE R. PERRIN, 0F WESBROOK, MAINE.

SLUB eiyrcierar..n

Application med april 2s, 1925. serial no. 26,475.

The invention relates to a slub catcher for winding machines.

The object of the present invention is to provide avsimple, practical and eiiicient slub catcher of stron'g, durable and inexpensive construction designed for use on various types of ya'rn guides of winding machines and equipped with a feeler finger having a slot for the passage of the yarn and having a pivotal movement laterally of the yarn and a swinging movement in the direction of the travel of the yarn and adapted to yield readily to the movements of the yarn and practically fioat with the same whereby the slot in the feeler `finger for the passage of the yarn may be made much narrower than the slot in the yarn guide to enable the feeler finger without liability of chafing the yarn to have a yarn passage slot suliciently narrow to engage slubs and similar imperfections in the yarn and cause a breaking of the yarn to prevent such imperfections passing on to the spool.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a delicate and sensitive slub catcher of this character capable of automatically assuming a position to enable the yarn to be readily introduced into its passage or slot after a slub or other imperfection has been removed and the yarn tied in the customary manner. f

i With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being under-A stood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to lWithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawings Figure l1 is a perspective view of a slub catcher constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a yarn guide.

Fig, 2 is a vertical sectional view through the yarn guide and the bracket of the slub catcher.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional 4view illustrating the manner of clamping the yarn.

Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective view showing a portion of the guide rod, the feeler finger and the yarn guide, the spaces between the said` parts being exaggerated for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the slub catcher detached.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a different type of yarn guide equipped with a slub catcher embodying a modification of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating the manner of clamping the yarn.- i

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawings, the slub catcher comprises in its construction a supportinv bracket 1 of approximate Lshape,constructed of suitable metal and consisting of a vertical attaching portion and spaced horizontal projecting arms 2 between which is pivoted the upper end of a depending link 3 adapted to swing longitudinally of the yarn 11.; The bracket 1 is secured by 'a screw 5 or other suitable fastening-means to the upper portion of the frame or body 6 of a yarn gripper. The spaced arms 2 are provided at their outer ends lwith alined transverse perforations for the reception of a pin 7 or other suitable pivot on which the link is mounted. The link is preferably recessed at 8 as shown and it has mounted on its 'lower recess portion a screw .9 forming a pivot for a pendant laterally and longitudinally' swinging feeler finger or member 10 provided at its upper end with a suitable perforation for the pivot 9. Instead, however, of employing a screw, any other suitable form of pivot may, of course, be used as will be readily understood. The feeler finger which is normally maintained in a vertical position by the yarn is provided at its lower ortion with a vertical slot 11 extending longitudinally of the lower portion of the feeler nger and forming a passage for the yarn and arranged at right angles to the horizontal slot or passage 12 provided inthe yarn gripper for the passage of the yarn. The feeler linger is provided at the inner side of the slot 11 with an extension 13 which forms a guide for introduclll convenient position in the introduction of the yarn. rlhe open lower end of the slot 11 when the feeler finger is in the dotted line position of Fig. 1, is in line with the slot 12 of the yarn gripper and it is only necessary to introduce the yarn into the slot 12 of the yarn gripper and move the yarn inwardly into engagement with the extension v13 and a further movement of the yarn laterally towards the center of the yarn gripper will swing the feeler finger 'from the dotted inclined position to the full line vertical position shown in Fig. 1 automatically carrying the yarn into the slot 11. The feeler finger is provided intermediate of its ends with a bend 16 to offset the lower portion from the plane of the upper portion and arrange the said lower portion close to the yarn gripper and the said offset lower portion of the feeler finger is provided with a projection 17 which is rounded at the end and which fit-s against the yarn guide.

The yarn grippercomprises in its construction the said frame or body r6 having a clamp 18 for securing it to the guide rod 19 of a winding machine. rIhe body 6 has mounted on it a lower fixed horizontal rod or member 19a with which cooperates a swinging member consisting of a frame 2O mounted on a horizontal pivot pin 21 and carrying a yarn gripper plate 22 which cooperates with the fixed yarn gripper member 19a. The plate 22 is secured to opposite side portions 23 of the movable frame 20 of the .yarn gripper by screws 24, one of which is utilized for securing the stop 15 to the movable plate or member of the yarn gripper. The movable member or plate of the yarn gripper is normally maintained at a slight angle or inclination to arrange the lower edge of the plate 22 in spaced relation with the fixed gripper member 19al to provide a slot or passage for the yarn and the said hinged member of the yarn gripper is adapted to swing on the horizontal pivot 21 to clam the yarn against the fixed gripper mem er 19a to clamp and break the yarn. The hinged frame of the yarn gripper is normally maintained in an inclined position by a coiled spring 25 which is adapted to yield to permit the movable member 22 to clamp and break the yarn when the feeler finger is engaged by a slub.

The slub 26 or similar imperfection ycaused by a particle of cotton or other material getting into the yarn produces a soft place in the yarn and in passing over the gripper rod 19 will be 'fiattened and in attempting to pass through the narrow vertical slot of the feeler finger will be. caused to turn or twist whichwill also tend to scrape the loose fibers and increase the size of an obstruction and thereby produce a more positive operation of the device in causing a clamp of the vai-n and a breaking of the same. Ow-

menait ing to the extreme lightness and sensitiveness of the feeler finger, it is adapted to yield readily -to the movements of the yarn incident to the vertical or up and down motion of the yarn gripper without friction on the yarn or causing any chafing of the same. lt is maintained in constant touch with the yarn by the action of the weighted arm 14. By reason of this floating action and light structure and the ready yielding of the feeler finger and the movements of the yarn, the vertical slot in the feeler finger may bemade sufiiciently narrow to catch slubs without chafing the yarn which cannot be done with the slot of the yarn gripper owing to the heavy rigid construction of the same. lllhe feeler fingers will be provided with slots of different widths to suit the yarn passing through the yarn gripper and the slot 11 of the feeler finger 10 in the accompanying drawings as designated on the weighted arm ten one-thousandths(.010). rlhe pivot screw 9 will enable the fccler finger to be readily changed so that the feeler finger having a slot of the required width may be readily applied to the device.

The stop 15 may be of any desired construction and in the accompanying drawings it is shown as consisting of a wire having a coil or loop 27 clamped by the head of the screw 24. |The feeler finger is permitted by the link 3 to swing upwardly to enable it to be readily cleaned and after cleaning it will assume by gravity its proper position with relation to the yarn gripper for enabling the yarn to' be readily placed in the same and in the slot 11.

When the device is applied to an old style yarn guide of the Draper or similar type not equipped with a swinging portion operable by the yarn for clamping the latter, the feeler finger is preferably constructed as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings. In this form of the invention the feeler finger 28 is provided with a spring member 29 bowed in the opposite direction to the bend 30 of the feeler finger and having its lower end 31 normally located slightly above the yarn. The guide rod 32 will be provided with a slot 33 for maintaining the 4yarn to the feeler finger in a central position ywith relation to the yarn guide. The feeler finger when engaged by a slub or other imperfection as illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawing, will be swung rearwardly and will compress the bowed resilient member 29 and straighten the same thereby eX- tending the lower end thereof into clamping engagement with the yarn for clamping the yarn against the bottom of the yarn guide. This will cause a breakage of the yarn passing through the slot 34 of the yarn guide. The projection 17 is omitted but the feeler finger is otherwise constructed as heretofore described and will be equipped with the lllO weighted arm and be limited in its lateral swinging movement by the stop as heretofore described.

What is claimed is:

l. A slub catcher for yarn rippers having a slot, comprising a feeler nger pivoted above the slot of the yarn-gripper and extending across the same and provided with a vertical slot forming a passage for the yarn, said feeler finger being readily yieldable to the movements of the yarn.

2. A slub catcher for yarn grippers having a slot, comprising a lfeeler finger pivoted above the slot of the yarn gripper and extending across the same and provided with a vertical slot forming a passage forthe yarn, said feeler finger being readily yieldable to the movements of the yarn and the width of its slot being less than that of the yarn guide.

3. A slub catcher for yarn grippers comprising a feeler finger extending across the yarn passage ofthe yarn gripper in approximately vertical direction and having a vertical slot for the passage of the yarn, and means for mounting the finger to permit the same to swing both laterally and longitudinally of the yarn.

4. A slub catcher for yarn grippers comprising a feeler finger extending across the yarn passage of the yarn gripper in approximatelyvertieal direction and having a vertical slot for the passage of the yarn, and means for mounting-the finger to permit the same to swing both laterally and longitudinally of the yarn, and yieldable means actuated by the feeler finger in its longitudinal swinging, movement for clamping the yarn to break the same.

5. A slub catcher for yarn grippers comprising a feeler finger extending across the yarn passage of the yarn gripper in approximately vertical direction and having a vertical slot for the passage of the yarn, and means for mounting the finger to permit the same to swing both laterally and longitudilnally of the yarn, and laterally extending .outwardly and a stop for limiting the movement of the feeler finger when actuated by the said arm.

7. A slub catcher for yarn grippers comprising a bracket, means for attaching the bracket to a yarn gripper at the upper -portion thereof, a link pivoted to the bracket and arranged to swing longitudinally of the yarn, and a feeler finger pivoted to the link to swing laterally of the yarn and extending downwardly across the yarn passage of the gripper and provided with a slot arranged at an angle to the yarn passage of the yarn gripper.

8. A slub catcher for yarn grippers,co1n prising a feeler finger pivoted at its upper end to swing laterally of the yarn and provided at its lower portion with a slotforming a passage for the yarn and arranged at an angle to the yarn passage of the yarn gripper, said feeler finger having its lower portion arranged adjacent the yarn gripler and provided with a projection norma ly resting against the yarn gripper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALPHONSE R. PERRIN. l 

